The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-21
HOW IT WAS DONE.
The Way in Which the Campaign Fund
was Handled in a Southern District.
From the Washington Star


From the Washington Star
In the mountainous region of one of the
Southern Congressional districts the people
are mostly honest church-goers, and are
very severe as to morals. They cannot
countenance anything that looks like deceit
or corruption, but they are strong partisans
and get much worked up in their quiet way
over the local elections. The district is Demo-
cratic, of course but at the last Congress
sional election it was pretty close between
the two opposing candidates The men
talked politics while hitching their horses
about the church door on Sunday, end
stood about long while after the services
discussing the situation. The deacons and
Sunday school teachers, and the pillars of
the church generally were friends of the
gentleman ultimately elected, who enjoyed
the reputation of strictly moral and con-
scientious man, being something of a religi-
Gus exhorter as well as a politician.
When this candidate came into the coun-
ty Just before the close of the campaign,
there was general assembling of the lead
ing deacons and church men to meet him
They came quietly at night to the little inn
where he stopped, and they were headed by
Deacon Abe,n who was head and front of
all matters Of church and State They as
sembled in the general reception and all
round room, where there was bare floor,
a few pine chairs, and stove in the middle
of the room, surrounded by saw-dust spit
box. They were sober and decorous about
the proceedings, and they carried among
them a pair of sole-leather saddle-bags.
The candidate, who had retired, was aroused
by the landlord, and as he got out of bed he
found the saddle-bags on the floor of his
by Deacon Abe. They were heavy to lift,
and there was a metallic rattle as the candi-
date showed them under the bed.
They sat together in the big room, and
talked over the crops and the cattle and the
repairs t. the meeting house. Then they
talked of the election, and gradually drifted
around to the question closest to their
hearts.
BILL" said Deacon Abe, addressing the
candidate, 'you air an honest, conscientious
man. We all know you wouldn't do nothin'
that were like corruptin' of votes and moth
in that were calkerlated to make freedom
citizen and moral Christian ter feel like he
couldn't read the Declaration of Independ-
ence with clear conscience. You wouldn't
do nothin' in the way of buyin' votes You
wouldn't do nothin' to degrade freeborn
citizenship We hev been a considerin', and
this ere contest air mighty close Now, Bill,
eff you had 81, 700 what would you do with
it! Now, mind, amt sayin' as you hev
you had, how would you divide it up, and
who would you give it to to do the most
good! Now, amt said you had 81, 700. It's
all just supposin'."
''Well," said the candidate, "if you've got
seventeen"
"Now amt said / had" broke in Deacon
Abe, and the rest of the deacons looked
sober and impenetrable. "We amt said
anybody had $l,7OO We were just sup
posin'."
SWELL them" said the candidate, 'sup-
posing that the campaign fund had been de-
vided UP and 81, 700 had been allotted to this
county, and it was all in silver dollars up
stairs in them saddle bags, think should
turn it over to Mr. - and let him divide
it around, according to this list"
The list was produced and the deacons de-
parted.
Along toward the end of election day the
contest got mighty close, and votes were
selling for as much as $40. The deacon saw
the 81 200 melting away while the sun was
still high. Presently Deacon Abe took a $50
bill from his pocket and handed it over to
the candidate with the remark that "this
were a mighty close day."